Shiffting - How it works

After having quit MTB for a few years, I will like to get back and I have a few questions.

How shiffing gears works? When you pull the cable, does the front derailleur goes to bigger or smaller gears. What about the rear? I don't know if I had rapid rise, but I remember that before going up a hill, had to pull one cable and release the other one.

Basically it depends with the front deraillure on top swing or bottom swing. Top Swing you pull the calbe the derillure goes into the bigger chain ring.

The rear, normal rise, you pull the cable the chain shifts into the bigger sprocket. Bascially in the normal RD system, you 'push' the chain up onto the larger sprocket by tensinoing cable and let it 'drop' onto the smaller sprocket by loosening the cable.